In a move applauded by Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) Board of Control voted 8-0 to align its transgender athlete policy with federal law. The decision keeps high school sports participation based on birth sex rather than gender identity.
A Policy Changes, A Task Force Celebrates
The NIAA Board meeting on Tuesday, April 1, marked a significant shift in how Nevada handles transgender athlete participation.
“We have a federal law in place and I do not think it would behoove us as a body to willfully violate a federal law,” explained NIAA executive director Tim Jackson, describing the organization’s primary motivation.
As news of the vote spread, Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony quickly issued a statement of support through his Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports, which he formed in 2024 specifically to address such policies.
“Today’s vote sends a clear message: Nevada values and protects opportunities for female athletes,” Anthony said. “Girls deserve a level playing field, and this action helps ensure they can compete, grow, and succeed without having to compromise safety or fairness.”
Big win for girls’ sports in Nevada! Today, the NIAA adopted a new sex-based policy that ensures high school girls can compete in a protected category reserved exclusively for female athletes. Read More: https://t.co/f8A7uiJRDF pic.twitter.com/npGHxwhwmE
— Office of Nevada’s Lieutenant Governor (@NevadaLtGov) April 1, 2025
Board members Pam Sloan, Gregg Malkovich, Jay Kenny, Wade Poulsen, Deanna Riddle, Rayanne Sorensen, Alex Woodley and Keith Wipperman all voted in favor of the new policy.
From Old Rules to New Requirements
The NIAA’s previous policy, adopted in April 2016, allowed students to participate in sports based on their gender identity with school approval. According to NIAA legal counsel Paul Anderson, in nearly a decade under that policy, the association had “never had a level two appeal in regards to a transgender student.”
The new policy requires students to have a doctor designate their birth sex on physical evaluation forms. Physicians must check a box to confirm an athlete is “medically eligible for girls sports.” Starting in fall 2025, students will need to provide their “unaltered” birth certificate during physicals.
NCAA champion swimmer Marshi Smith, who chairs Anthony’s task force, praised the alignment with federal regulations:
“I applaud the NIAA for aligning high school sports policy with federal law to ensure fair competition for Nevada’s girls.”
Practical Concerns Meet Political Support
Despite the unanimous approval among voting members, the birth certificate requirement raised concerns. Three board members abstained from the initial vote, and the board later voted 10-1 to hold an emergency meeting in May to address implementation challenges.
“There may be issues with undocumented individuals,” Anderson acknowledged. “Perhaps, there are other revisions we can make to this policy where the birth certificate does not become an issue.”
Principal Keith Wipperman, who voted for the policy, expressed practical worries:
“We have several schools here that have a very high Hispanic population. For that reason alone are going to be unable or unwilling to provide a birth certificate.”
While school administrators grapple with these implementation questions, Anthony’s task force sees the policy as an important victory in a larger effort. The Lieutenant Governor has assembled former athletes, lawmakers, and community leaders to advocate for protecting girls’ sports opportunities.
“Let me be clear: there is a place for everyone in sports. But no one is entitled to a position that takes an opportunity away from someone else,” Anthony stated.
Nevada Joins Nationwide Movement
The NIAA’s decision puts Nevada in line with 38 other states that have similar policies limiting transgender participation in athletics. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has recently launched investigations into athletic associations in Minnesota and California after they announced plans to defy federal law.
For Anthony’s task force, the policy represents important protections for female athletes. For the NIAA, it represents compliance with federal regulations and executive orders.
A big win today for Nevada! Thank you to the @NIAASports board for repealing their policy that allowed boys to compete in girls’ sports and for standing strong to protect fairness and opportunity for Nevada’s female athletes. #ProtectGirlsSports #HoldTheLine pic.twitter.com/HwvY78fpF9
— Stavros Anthony (@StavrosAnthony) April 1, 2025
Both the Lieutenant Governor and the NIAA will be watching closely when the Board meets again in May to determine exactly how schools will implement these new requirements and what alternatives might be acceptable for students who cannot provide birth certificates. What remains clear is that when the 2025 school year begins, Nevada’s approach to transgender athletes in high school sports will be fundamentally different than it has been for the past nine years.
For Nevada’s female athletes, parents, and conservative advocates alike, this watershed moment marks not just a policy change, but a powerful victory in the fight to preserve the integrity and fairness of girls’ sports for generations to come.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
